Gerry goes to market

Some people regard cars as not much more than whitegoods on wheels. Now the king of whitegoods is turning his hand to selling cars. Bob Jennings reports.

Gerry goes to market

25 July 2004Bob Jennings

Harvey Norman boss Gerry Harvey is not the sort of person to let a business opportunity go begging.

So when he was approached to help establish a car market in which private buyers and sellers could negotiate between themselves, cutting out the middleman, it appealed to his predilection for buying and selling.

The Sydney Car Market, of which Harvey is chairman, had a somewhat hesitant opening last weekend and will have the second of the proposed weekly trading days today at Sydney Olympic Park.

"We only had about 40 cars and about 400 buyers last week, but we'd hope that as word gets around the number of cars will increase; it will need to for it to be a reasonable business proposition," Harvey told Sunday Drive.

He said the idea of the project was to take the worry out of privately selling a motor vehicle.

"We offer a venue where you can display your vehicle in a safe environment."

The NRMA Motoring Services Group will be on site each Sunday to provide prepurchase inspections tailored for the car market.

Another company will be on site to offer finance and insurance cover. Concerns about ownership and vehicle history have been addressed; Harvey said a vehicle could not be displayed unless it had a current pink slip, and registration papers and proof of identity would be necessary.

There is online and phone access to REVs, the Register of Encumbered Vehicles, to check the car's financial status, and the Wreck Register to guard against rebirthed vehicles.

Staff will be on hand to accompany buyers on test drives, and second-hand dealers are not permitted to operate at the site.

The local Rotary Club is providing food, with proceeds assisting their activities.

"This is a good way for people to learn how to buy and sell and how to negotiate in a good environment," Harvey said. "People are free to haggle over prices, and if you've made an offer on a car that hasn't been accepted, why wouldn't you go back a few minutes before the trading closes and make the offer again?

"It wouldn't hurt to point out that a sale could be made on the spot rather than the seller having to go through the whole process again.

"This sort of thing is one of the facts of life. It can teach people to assess other people. Do you think they're trustworthy? Do they look like the sort of person you would believe or not believe?

"In this environment you can talk to a number of people and form your own opinions, and maybe even learn from your mistakes."

No commissions are paid for either buying or selling. Sellers pay a flat fee of $55. Up to 1000 spaces are available at the site, which is in the P4 car park, next to the M4 and the State Hockey Centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

There are plans to establish the operation in Gosford, Newcastle and Wollongong, possibly next month, and to further expand to other capital cities.